'I've never seen anything like this': Saanich firefighters aid wildfire fight
Crews responded to a brush fire in Thetis Lake Park Monday night -- knocking it down before it grew beyond one acre in size, leaving a mop-up job that was wrapped up Tuesday afternoon -- but not before the flames left nearby residents, like Deborah Danby, scared for their lives.
“That was one of the most terrifying nights of my life,” said Danby on Tuesday. “My family were trapped on the other side of the park -- we had our bikes out, we were ready to ride out on one of the trails out back there.”
In the Okanagan -- where teams from across the province, including municipal firefighters from Vancouver Island have been battling brutal flames -- officials confirmed around 200 homes in the region were damaged or destroyed.
A team of four municipal firefighters from Saanich have been helping protect homes in the West Kelowna area since last Friday, arriving when conditions were at their worst.
“It was basically an inferno and we were triaging houses when we went in,” said Platoon Captain Aaron Charlton, one of the members of the Saanich team. “Some were maybe too far gone, and we moved on to the next one -- so one would be gone and we could save five after protecting exposures from that one that might have been engulfed in flames,” said Charlton.
Despite the obvious heartbreak, no lives were lost, and the combined efforts of wildfire and structure firefighters is credited with preserving thousands of homes.
“I’ve never seen anything like this - -and even talking to firefighters across the province – we’ve never seen anything like this,” said Charlton.
Meanwhile, View Royal fire department confirmed Wednesday that the brush fire in Thetis Lake Park was out, but a team from the CRD was patrolling the area to ensure nothing reignited.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to conviction in hush money trial
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
Incendiary device thrown at Vancouver synagogue, Jewish Federation says
An incendiary device was thrown at a Vancouver synagogue Thursday night, leading to increased police presence at local institutions, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver says.